Does Mercury Retrograde Affect Sleep? Here’s Why We’re All So Tired

I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted—and much more than usual since Mercury went retrograde.

Apparently, I’m not alone: Searches for “does Mercury retrograde affect sleep?” have increased by 600%, according to Google trends, and several friends, family members, and coworkers who have shared that they haven’t been able to fall asleep—or wake up—since it started. The phenomenon is even trending on TikTok and a hot topic on astrology Reddit.

To truly understand the chaos of Mercury retrograde, you must first understand Mercury on its best behavior.

What is Mercury retrograde?

The planet of Mercury rules communication, technology, travel, and day-to-day affairs, as well as the astrological signs Gemini and Virgo. So when Mercury is retrograde, or appears as though it’s moving backwards (which it doesn’t really; it’s an optical illusion), all of those things can start to go awry.

“From friendly conversations to big professional contracts, if you say it, type it, or scribble it, it’s got Mercury all over it,” Inbaal Honigman, Tarotoo celebrity psychic and astrologer, tells Glamour. “So when Mercury is retrograde, emails may get stuck in ‘outbox’ for days, contracts could be delayed, and personal conversations can be taken the wrong way.”

Mercury retrograde can impact real-life conversations; any form of communication is unfortunately fair game. “Communication is at the heart of much that we do: Working, shopping, and studying are all rooted in communication,” Honigman continues. “If you compliment your bestie and she looks offended, it’s Mercury’s fault that she misunderstood you.” Now do you see why it’s such a notorious transit?

Mercury mishaps may also include phones, computers, and tablets inexplicably breaking and needing to be replaced, missing flights, appointments, or meetings, and even unexpectedly hearing from ex lovers or former friends. “You may see that they viewed your LinkedIn, or you could be on the receiving end of a bunch of flowers and a surprise ring, and anything in between,” Honigman says.

How does Mercury retrograde affect sleep?

How or why does Mercury retrograde affect sleep? After all, the moon is best known for regulating our sleep schedules—not Mercury, right?

It can cause stress and anxiety.

Mercury’s mayhem can cause stress and anxiety. “When the Mercury retrograde interferes with how we connect with others, it creates the kind of anxious environment that makes sleep harder,” Honigman explains. “Sitting up and worrying about something we said and how it can be interpreted can be a real thief of sleep during the retrograde. Packages that don’t show up or holiday photos we sent to the family group chat accidentally can have our nerves keep us up all night.”

Such can be the case whether or not astrology is even “real,” adds Martin Seeley, sleep expert and CEO of MattressNextDay. “This increase in anxiety and stress levels is often caused by the placebo effect of believing that challenges will arise, and things will go wrong, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy,” Seeley explains. “Feeling on edge, anticipating potential problems, will inevitably raise your anxiety levels as the retrograde period goes on.”